The expression on Arjen Robben’s face as he led his country out on to the pitch, navy armband wound around his left biceps, suggested this was not a moment he would take lightly. Captain of Holland at a World Cup finals: he looked like a footballer on top of his game and utterly fulfilled. He gave the impression that this was a sporting experience he never imagined possible.

In fairness, electric wingers – who by their very nature play with speed and guile and a maverick spirit that does not tally with the traditional qualities required for the leader of a team’s strategy and spirit – tend not to make authentic captains. Before this, Robben had one opportunity to start with the armband before, for a friendly against Japan when Robin van Persie was injured. A handful of times he has taken over during a game when the first choice has been substituted.

As a young player, Robben did not appear to be captaincy material at all. But it is a sign of the way he has matured that at the age of 30, it suited him. He is playing with a mixture of verve, confidence and concentration that makes him, arguably, the standout player in the tournament so far. There is no denying he is one of the contenders, anyway.

Selecting Van Persie – suspended on Monday – as captain with Robben as his deputy was a brave and intriguing selection by Louis van Gaal. Both players have responded brilliantly to the enhanced sense of responsibility.

As Van Gaal sought to repair the damage done two years ago in the European Championship, when the Dutch flopped by losing all three matches, he called a meeting where everyone in the squad was encouraged to speak their mind. In the summer of 2013 he decided to change the leadership in the camp, replacing the then captain, Wesley Sneijder, and his understudy, Dirk Kuyt, with the new double act of Van Persie and Robben. The move was based on a fundamental principle – Van Gaal insists his captains must be guaranteed regulars, something he could not promise Sneijder and Kuyt at the time.

Fitness or suspensions permitting, there is no way Van Gaal would pick a team without his high-calibre attacking double act. This Holland vintage are defined by the stellar performances of Van Persie and Robben, although it speaks volumes that the younger and less experienced players around them are rising to the occasion too. Here Leroy Fer powered in a header to give Holland the lead, before Memphis Depay was invited to add another goal created by one of a handful of blazing Robben runs that seemed fast enough to leave scorched shapes of footprints in the grass.

Robben’s public image may be coloured by the fact he developed a reputation for exaggerating falls but those who know him speak of a level-headed player who looks after himself and these days wants to make an impression looking after others too. He used to be thought of as something of a loner but now relishes the fact he can influence the players around him. Since being named Van Gaal’s chosen vice-captain, he has made a special effort on that front.

Away from football, Robben married his childhood sweetheart and is heavily involved in supporting the local community where he grew up. He supports a project to encourage people to read more (he even features in a couple of the stories), and is an ambassador for his boyhood club, Groningen.

Robben is relishing this World Cup. At that faltering European Championship two years ago, the body language evoked nothing but frustration as Robben was substituted during a game against Germany and hopped over the advertising hoardings on the far side of the pitch – opposite the dugouts – for a long and sulky walk round. “If you want to accomplish something together, you have to put egos aside,” he said later. “You have to fight as a team to regain that sense of invincibility. It won’t come by itself.”

The egos seem remarkably well blended for the common cause under Van Gaal. Robben celebrated victory over Chile, with the prize of probably avoiding Brazil in the last 16, emphatically. They have topped Group B comprehensively. Having delighted against Spain, prevailed through moments of class against Australia, and earned a more tactical victory against Chile, Holland have demonstrated versatility as well as talent and togetherness.

Robben and Van Persie, the creative leaders, will be back in tandem for the knockouts. Right now the team they are leading from the front do not look to be afraid of anyone.